


Stingue One-Shots

by SeraphOfTheGay



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Fluff, Gajuvia brotp, M/M, Smut, oneshots, sting x rogue, stingue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-20
Updated: 2016-03-24
Packaged: 2018-05-15 02:16:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5767450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeraphOfTheGay/pseuds/SeraphOfTheGay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a compilation of all the Stingue One-Shots I have written so far~!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Don't Leave Me

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I'll be posting every stingue one-shot I've written (from stingueweek to fthalloween week to ones I wrote just for fun). I hope you enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sting's about to make the ultimate sacrifice. Full of angst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My tumblr mutuals have all said this was heartbreaking and sad...so I'm sorry for this. I'm sorry I made these beautiful bbys suffer.

“Sting…you can’t be serious,” Rogue whispered, his voice cracking. Trembling hands took place at his sides, his body soon following the action.

“I am, Rogue. And there’s nothing you or anybody else can do to stop me.” Sting stood at the entrance of their guild hall, his eyes full of determination. His tone was very sincere, not straying even the slightest from his decision. It’d be the last time anyone would see those beautiful sapphire eyes.

Standing not too far ahead of them was a dark guild. Skeleton Creek’s master was smiling maniacally, arms crossed over his muscular chest.

The rest of Sabertooth's guild members had left on Sting’s orders, but Rogue couldn’t bring himself to leave. He knew something was up, and the sight before him proved that there _was_ something wrong. Very, very wrong. 

“Please…p-please consider thinking about this…” Rogue’s voice was breaking more, words barely understandable. His knees shook violently, ready to give in at any second. “There’s another way, there has to be…and we’ll find it…together!”

“No. We don’t have time,” Sting responded, clenching his fists. From the way his shoulders slumped, Rogue knew he was crying. Tears rolled down Sting’s bruised cheeks, falling to the floor in rhythmic drops. 

“Please don’t leave.” 

It was a simple request. Too bad it couldn’t be fulfilled so easily. 

“You idiot…I don’t want to leave you, but what choice do I have?” Sting turned around and finally met his partner’s eyes after having turned his back to him the whole time. 

“Y-you do have a choice! I-I’m asking you not to do this! We’ll find a way to defeat them, I-I swear!”

“Rogue, this is the only way. If I don’t do this, then-”

“Then what?!” Rogue felt himself shouting, unable to contain his anger. Was Sting really that stupid?!

“You’ll all die. I don’t want to see my family be destroyed because I couldn’t complete a simple request.”

“THIS ISN’T A SIMPLE REQUEST, DUMBASS!” Rogue yelled, tears pouring out of his eyes. “YOU’RE WALKING STRAIGHT INTO DEATH’S HANDS, AND YOU CALL IT A ‘SIMPLE REQUEST’?!”

Sting cringed at those words. It was true. Skeleton Creek had risen to power in only a couple of years, and they’d been giving Sabertooth a hard time. Sting and Rogue had been working tirelessly for the past few months, trying to keep up with payments, but it wasn’t enough. They owed this new guild a big amount of jewels. Sting tried to negotiate with them a few days ago, but they turned down every offer.

All except one. 

In exchange for Sting’s dragon slayer lacrima and his life itself, they would spare Sabertooth and the rest of the guild.

“It’s okay, Rogue.”

 _OKAY?! NOTHING IS OKAY!_  Rogue wanted to scream and grab Sting, maybe even slap him to knock some sense into him. But he was frozen, his feet glued to the floor, unable to even take one step. Knees so weak that he could collapse any second now. 

“Sting…I c-can’t…I can’t live without you…” Rogue sobbed, clutching his cape firmly in his trembling hands. “I’m begging you, please don’t-”

“Hurry up or I’ll kill them all right now!” Skeleton Creek’s guild master yelled from the distance.

“No! Just give me a minute, god damn it!” Sting fired back, glaring daggers at the man on the other side of him. 

“Sting, I’ll do anything. A-anything at all! P-please, I’m asking you for the one hundredth time, don’t leave me! Y-you never have to do anything for me again! All I’m asking is that you stay with me, and I swear everything will truly be okay! We’ll figure this out…nobody has to die…we’ll…”

“I’m sorry…” Sting apologized, turning away. He couldn’t bear to see Rogue in such a broken mess. Not now. It wasn’t the last thing he wanted to see. Not at all. 

He really was sorry. Leaving behind the one person he loved the most, the one who needed him the most, definitely had to be the hardest thing in the world. Sting felt like he was betraying Rogue, and it hurt so much inside. 

Who else would take care of him if he was gone? Rogue’s light was disappearing forever, and it couldn’t be replaced. 

Sting’s lip trembled and his heart beat rapidly in his chest. Why did it have to come to this? Shadows fell over his eyes, trying to hide his sorrow. He was broken inside, each piece of his soul a fragmented mess. Despite that, the white dragon was able to keep a strong composure on the outside. This was his duty. As Sabertooth’s Guild Master.

Rogue was paralyzed in fear, agony, and shock. His knees finally gave in and he fell to the ground, clutching his head, mumbling words to himself to the point where an onlooker would consider him hysterical. It was all a dream, right? This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be happening. He opened his mouth to speak, but all words were lost in the black void consuming him from the inside.

_YOUR APOLOGIZES WILL MEAN NOTHING IF I’M GOING TO LOSE YOU!_

“Now, Sabertooth’s guild master. Final warning.” 

“I have to go.” Five steps forward. Only three feet away from death’s door.

**A falling star fell from your heart and landed in my eyes.**

_DON’T. DON’T. DON’T YOU DARE TAKE ANOTHER STEP, STING EUCLIFFE._

**I screamed aloud, as it tore through them and now it’s left me blind.**

“This is goodbye, Rogue.” Two more steps. Only one left to go. “Take care of the guild while I’m gone, okay?” It was hard for Sting to keep his voice steady. 

**The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out.**

_IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE GOODBYE. YOU CAN STAY. WE CAN TAKE THEM ON TOGETHER. LIKE WE’VE ALWAYS BEEN DOING._

**You left me in the dark.**

The thoughts never reached Sting’s ears. 

**And in the dark, I can hear your heartbeat. I tried to find the sound.**

Rogue felt as if he was going to pass out from hyperventilating. He was seeing stars and his vision was fading very quickly.

**But then it stopped and I was in the darkness. So darkness I became.**

“Raios.” Sting turned to look at his partner one last time, giving him a genuine smile. Before he took the final step, his eyes pooling with tears, he whispered something he had wanted to say for a long, long time. “I love you.”

**No dawn, no day, I’m always in this twilight.**

Rogue’s eyes widened, his breathing suddenly stopping for a split second. The scene before him appeared vividly. The shadow dragon could see every detail now, even though he didn’t want to. His heart was beating so hard and fast that he thought it would burst out of his chest. 

As Rogue’s head lifted up from staring at the ground for so long, everything occurred in slow motion, contradicting with how fast it really happened. How fast Rogue lost his best friend, his lifetime partner, and the love of his life right before his eyes, all while witnessing every detail of the murder. There was the sound of some unknown attack, a familiar, painful scream, and the splatter of blood. 

And then it was all over. 

In the end, Sting was smiling, but Rogue was nowhere near able to do that ever again.

**In the shadow of your heart.**

Nobody was able to sleep that night after hearing Rogue’s bloodcurdling screams.

* * *

~A few days later~

“Rogue, it’s time to go. We have to get back to the guild.” Minerva stood a few feet behind Rogue, who was knelt down beside a gravestone. He had already brought beautiful white flowers and dusted off the surface of the stone, making sure it was in its best condition. Now he was simply staring at it with expressionless eyes, unresponsive to the outside world around him. Yukino was there beside Minerva, sobbing quietly.

“I didn’t…I didn’t know Sting-sama had asked us to leave because he was going to do something like that…” Yukino cried. Minerva frowned, wrapping her arm around the celestial mage to comfort her. 

“None of us knew,” Minerva reminded her, rubbing her shoulder. “Those bastards…”

Sting’s loss hadn’t been easy for anyone. Obviously, Rogue took it the hardest. He distanced himself from everyone and everything. He stopped speaking to everybody, even Frosch. Eating, sleeping, and self-care became a rarity.

Minerva had taken over as the new master, simply because Rogue couldn’t. Who’d let anyone be guild master after slaughtering an entire dark guild in one night?

“Rogue, I have to go. I just left the guild by itself, and I know I’d promised I’d accompany you but it’s been hours,” Minerva said, walking up to him. “You’ve had your time. Let’s get going.”

Rogue sat there, motionless. Hearing Minerva say those words reminded him of the time Sting had said the exact same thing. _'I have to go.'_

Without taking his eyes off the grave, he readjusted the flowers one last time. “Just leave without me.”

It was the first time Minerva had heard him speak after the incident.

“Rogue-sama…” Yukino said with a worried tone.

“I said leave.” Talking about leaving made Rogue’s heart hurt, but there really was no other way to put it. He needed to be alone.

Yukino and Minerva exchanged a glance before walking away. They knew that no amount of time would heal Rogue’s broken heart, so the best they could do for now was give him space.

After Minerva and Yukino were gone, Rogue took a deep breath. Tears formed quickly in his eyes as he placed his hand gently on the top of the gravestone. 

“Sting,” Rogue whispered, closing his eyes tightly. The tears spilled down his cheeks as he said his name. “It hasn’t even been that long since that day, but I really miss you…”

“I don’t want to live anymore. I-I want to be with you. I want to join you wherever you are. B-but I can’t. I won’t. I have two reasons. One, after all the sins I’ve committed since you left, I doubt I’d end up wherever you are now. Two, I know you wanted me to live, so I’m staying alive and doing this for you.”

“I’m so alone. I don’t feel the same without you. You were my light, you always will be, and without your guidance, I have nowhere to go. I’m lost in eternal darkness with no escape. My life has become a living hell.” He brushed his fingertips over the part of the gravestone where Sting’s name was carved in, tracing each and every letter. “I miss you so, so much Sting. I-It hurts so much. I want you back…I just want to see you one last time…but I know…that’s impossible…”

“You’ve done so much for me, you don’t even know. You gave me more than I can return. There’s so much more you deserved, and I’m sorry I wasn’t able to do anything for you….”

“I don’t know what to do. I-”

Rogue didn’t have anything left to say. His lip was trembling too much for him to say anything else. He simply hugged the gravestone, crying so hard, letting out all the sadness built up within him, until there were no tears left in his eyes.

It was already late, and the sun had set. 

 _Sting Eucliffe. The light to Rogue’s heart. The sun who had died to let his moon breathe._  

“There’s one thing I never got to tell you.” Rogue wiped his eyes, sniffling. “That moment before you left me, you told me you loved me. Those were your last words. I think…I think..no…I’m sure.. that was the one thing that allowed me to avoid being taken over by the Shadow. I-I was happy to hear that, but of course I was devastated that I never got to tell you how I felt in return. So I’m going to tell you now. Today is our anniversary, after all. The day we first met.”

Rogue breathed in and out, slowly moving his shaking hand off the gravestone. “I love you, Sting. Always have, always will. And nothing, not even you being gone forever, will ever change that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love it if you left a comment about your thoughts on this!


	2. Snowball Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two lovable dorks enjoying a snow day.

“Hurry up, Rogue!” Sting called, jumping up and down like a child. “Before the snow melts!”

“Sting, the snow isn’t going to go anywhere,” Rogue sighed, adjusting his hat and scarf. “We have plenty of time to play in the snow.”

“I knoooww but it’s been forever since it snowed here and I’m getting impatient!” 

“Alright my little bee, I’m ready now.” Rogue smiled, walking towards Sting. He held his hand, still able to feel the warmth even through their mittens. 

Sting pulled open the door to their apartment and dragged Rogue outside. The snow covering the grass and streets sparkled in the sunlight and its texture gleamed brightly. It was a beautiful sight; the snow-covered trees and houses made their backyard look more enchanting than ever.

“Wow, it’s so perfect that I almost don’t want to play in it…” Sting gasped, taking in all the beauty. 

“Ah, but that would be too hard for you, wouldn’t it? I know how much you love the snow,” Rogue reminded him, thinking back to all their previous snow days.

Sting nodded and fell back into the snow, getting ready to create a snow angel. Rogue watched him swiftly move his arms and legs back and forth, so fast that snow started flying in the air.

“H-hey! Watch it, I don’t want to get my scarf wet!” Rogue shrieked, shielding himself with his elbow. Bits of snow splattered onto his jacket, leaving bright white stains before dissolving into water. “Sting!”

Sting stopped after his snow angel was created and carefully stepped out, making sure not to accidentally set his foot down and mess it up. He turned around and admired his creation, nodding in approval before turning to face Rogue, who was glaring at him and pouting. Sting blinked twice before realizing that his boyfriend was covered from head-to-toe with snow.

“You got me wet!” Rogue yelled, stepping closer to Sting. “I think I even have some snow inside my clothes…!”

“Sorry babe, but the only time I can get you wet is when we’re, you know~” Sting smirked. 

“Perverted asshole,” Rogue grumbled. An angry blush dusted his cheeks as he tried to remove excess snow from his clothing.

Sting thought Rogue looked really adorable (and quite hot) covered in snow. His cheeks were flushed pink and the dampness really brought out his muscles. His hair hung messily over his face and Sting couldn’t get over his little pout. It was a sight that Sting liked to see, and he intended to keep it that way. So when Rogue wasn’t looking, the white dragon slayer bent down and gathered up some snow into his hands, molding it into a perfect snowball.

He raised his arm in the air, taking aim. Just as he was about to throw it, Rogue turned around. His crimson eyes widened, realizing the situation he was in at the moment. “Sting, don’t you dare throw that snowba-” Sting didn’t give him a chance to finish. He thrusted the snowball right at Rogue, smacking him right in the face. “Goddamit!”

“HAHAHA!” Sting cackled, doubling back in laughter. “IN YOUR FACE! LITERALLY!”

“YOU JERK!” Rogue yelled, brushing the snow off his face. There was now a big red spot in the middle of his face, making Rogue growl with anger. “Why’d you do that?!”

“Because, you look really cu-” Sting began.

Before he could finish, Rogue appeared behind him, emerging through the shadows, and tackled him into the snow. He pinned his arms down and glared into his deep blue eyes, gritting his teeth. He then leaned down and whispered into Sting’s ear, his warm breath tickling the white dragon’s neck. “Payback time, dear.”

Sting gazed into Rogue’s eyes, unable to take his eyes off of them. They were full of emotion, although not really any positive ones at the moment, but Sting admired their beauty and melted into them. His cheeks turned pink, not only from the cold but also from the fact that Rogue was practically sitting on top of his waist. “Punish me, my little shadow.”

Rogue felt himself blushing now. The tone in Sting’s voice sent shivers down his spine, and he slowly felt himself losing control but he had to retain himself. “Quit it, Sting.” Rogue turned his head, not daring to look into his eyes. “I’m gonna pay you back and you’re not going to like it.”

“Oh, but if this is the punishment then I will like it,” Sting purred, blushing more. “Just check out the position we’re in~”

Rogue looked down and heat immediately flooded his cheeks. He was sitting on Sting’s stomach, his legs straddling the white dragon slayer’s hips. The fact that he was pinning Sting’s arms down increased the sexual tension in the atmosphere. “Sh-shit..”

“Aha~ come on, I’m waiting for my punishment,” Sting teased, smiling brightly. Anything that involved Rogue touching him was something that he took pleasure in.

“Immature little brat,” Rogue hissed, quickly retreating from his position on top of Sting. He turned around, blushing furiously, and crossed his arms over his chest. 

Sting stood up and brushed the snow off his pants before walking up to Rogue and placing his chin on his shoulder. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, Rogue.” 

Rogue refused to look at him, so he turned his head further away from Sting’s. 

Sting pouted and grabbed Rogue’s shoulders, making him turn around. He quickly placed a kiss on the bridge of Rogue’s nose, the place where he’d hit him with the snowball. “Better?”

“Fuck you,” Rogue mumbled, hanging his head. He couldn’t help but give in to Sting when he did cute things like that. 

“I’m sorry,” Sting sighed, nuzzling his face into Rogue’s hair. 

“You’re not off the hook,” Rogue warned, brushing his lips against Sting’s neck. He was about to bite down on it, but Sting pulled back before he could do so.

“If you’re gonna kiss me, I want it here,” Sting said, pointing to his mouth. 

“Like hell I wi-” Rogue stopped mid-sentence. He thought about it for a second, and an idea popped into his head. The shadow dragon slayer smirked, ready to put his plan into action. “Actually, fine. But you have to close your eyes and wait.”

“Awe, you’re still shy?” Sting asked. Rogue rolled his eyes. “Okay, I’ll do it.” Sting closed his eyes, leaning forward.

Rogue took the opportunity to bend down and gather some snow. He formed a messy snowball and hid it behind his back. Slowly, he walked towards Sting, leaning closer. Sting smiled as his boyfriend’s scent filled his nose, but instead of feeling Rogue’s lips on his, he felt something cold and icy.

“What the FUCK?!” Sting squealed, spitting out snow from his mouth. “Rogue!”

“Told you I’d get payback!” Rogue exclaimed, laughing. “Take that, blondie!”

“Okay, that’s it, no more Mr. Nice Bae,” Sting yelled, pointing at Rogue. He grabbed a pile of snow and pushed it together to make a snowball. “It’s on.”


	3. Adopting a Child

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day has finally arrived: Sting and Rogue are ready to adopt a child!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're just a bunch of dorks. That is all.

"Sting, get your ass over here!" Rogue yells through the window at his lazy boyfriend who was lounging outside with their exceeds. "I swear to god if you don't get in here right this minute-"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT, ROGUE?" Sting grumbles as he trudges through the front door. 

Rogue fumbles a bit, not expecting Sting to return his anger. He clears his throat and fixes his posture, facing the White Dragon Slayer like a man. ~~(*Elfman sneezes in distance*)~~ "D-did you forget what today is?"

Sting stops to think for a minute, placing his forefinger on his chin. "Is it our anniversary?"

"No," Rogue says with a sigh. 

"Is it Give Lector and Frosch a Bath day?" 

"Nope."

"Hm, is it make love day?" Sting chuckles. "Oh wait, that's every day."

Rogue blushes but then shakes his head, coming back into focus.

"Oooh, is it Taco Night?!"

"NO!"

"Date night?"

"As much I wish it was, no."

Sting thinks harder, not willing to give up without a fight. "Cuddle under the stars night?"

"See previous answer."

"Shopping day?"

"We do need to do that. Remind me to put it on my list. But no."

"Do we have to do the laundry?" 

"Not even close."

"Is it someone's birthday today?"

"Nope. Try again."

"Just tell me already, will you?" Sting cries, out of answers.

Rogue's fingers fidget around as he meets Sting's eyes. "Today is..the day we decided to adopt our child...remember?"

Sting's smile immediately widens. "No way! I can't believe that's today!"

Sting didn't forget the occasion, he just forgot today's date. He could feel the excitement rushing up inside of him. Finally! He had been waiting forever to adopt a child. He imagined all the things he would do, and how he and Rogue would be the absolute perfect parents ever. He felt he was ready long ago, but Rogue thought otherwise.

Every other day for the past few months, the two of them cuddled together in the afternoons, snuggling under a warm blanket as they read parenting books together. Sting acted out all the things he would say to their new child and Rogue laughed at his every antic, almost being unable to wait any longer himself. And now the day had finally arrived. 

"I call driving!" Sting yells as he grabs the keys from the counter. They jingled as he picked them up and raced out of the door.

Rogue's eyes widen as he steps forward. He couldn't let Sting drive again, not after what had happened last time. Sting nearly drove them off a freakin' cliff because he lost his sense of direction.

"No way, Sting! If I ever let you drive again, it'll be too soon!" Rogue yells back, chasing after Sting. He leaps towards him in an attempt to grab the keys, but the two of them ended up rolling around everywhere, struggling to steal the keys away from the other. After much quarreling, the keys fly out of their hands and land a few feet away in the grass.

"You idiot! How could you think I would let you drive again after what happened last time?" Rogue yells, pushing his forehead up against Sting's after they both had stood up. 

"Why do you always worry about the little details? Why can't I drive, you fucking nerd?!" Sting argues, pushing back the same amount of force he was given.

"YOU NEARLY DROVE US OFF A DAMN CLIFF!"

"THAT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"

"I just want you to be safe, alright?!"

"You're taking away all the fun!"

"Save the fun for the bedroom!"

"S..Stop trying to turn me on!"

"I..I'm not!"

"Fuck off!"

They both pull back and Rogue goes to retrieve the keys from where they were. He picks them up before returning to the car, clutching them firmly in his hand. "I'm driving. No arguments."

Sting sighs as he gets into the passenger side, riding shotgun. Rogue hops into the driver's seat, placing the keys in the ignition and starting the car up. He buckles his seat belt and places his hands on the 8 and 4 positions before pushing on the gas pedal and taking off.

A couple of seconds hadn't even passed before Rogue halts the car to an abrupt stop.

"Why'd you stop?" Sting questions, raising an eyebrow as he looks at his boyfriend.

"Put on your seatbelt," Rogue demands.

"Oh my god, Rogue, LIKE I SAID EARLIER-"

"Put your seatbelt on. Otherwise we aren't going anywhere, and I know you want to see our child as much as I do."

"Aggghh, why do you always have to do this to me, Rogue?" Sting fake sobs as he grudgingly tugs on his seatbelt before buckling it into place.

"Because I love you and I want to keep you safe."

"Damn, Rogue. You're already such a good parent and we didn't even get there yet."

Rogue blushes and takes one of Sting's hands in his own. "We're both going to be the best parents ever. I can't do any of this without you." He places a gentle kiss on Sting's forehead.

Sting smiles and stretches out his seatbelt a little so he could rest his head on Rogue's shoulder. "Mmm...I love you, Papa Rogue."

Rogue couldn't help but chuckle. "If I'm the dad, does that make you the mom?" Rogue smirks. "Eh, Mama Sting?"

"N-No! I'm gonna be a dad too, jackass!" Sting shrieks in embarrassment. 

Rogue breaks out into laughter. "I know, dear. I'm sure you will. Now please get off me so I can actually drive there."

"But you know you love my touch~" Sting teases.

"Sting..." Rogue warns.

Sting sighs and retreats, but not before placing a kiss on Rogue's cheek. "Alright, alright. Let's get going. I'll save all the touching for later."

* * *

"Woah...there are so many kids here..." Sting mumbles in awe after they had stepped into the orphanage. "Which one is ours, babe?"

"Well, we have to meet up with him or her soon," Rogue explains, lacing his fingers through Sting's. "When I submitted the application, they gave us a list of potential children who meet our standards."

"Awesome! When do we get to meet them?" Sting asks, barely being able to contain his excitement.

"Just after we turn in the paperwork." There was a silence between them. Rogue turns his head to look at Sting and raises an eyebrow. "You did remember to bring the paperwork, didn't you?"

"What paperwork?" Sting asks, his eyes widening.

"Dear god Sting you never give me a break, do you?!" Rogue hisses.

"I SWEAR I HAD NO IDEA," Sting shrieks.

Rogue's expression immediately softens as he pulls Sting into a hug. "Agh, stop being so cute. I can't keep letting you win me over."

"But that's my job, my little shadow," Sting whispers into Rogue's ear, sending shivers down his spine. Rogue blushes deeply.

Sting gives Rogue a quick kiss before they walk up to the front desk together, hand in hand. They ashamedly ask for a new set of paperwork and go to the leather sofa to sit down. Sting insisted on filling out the paperwork himself to make up for it all, and Rogue couldn't help but to let him. 

"Alright. Names. Sting and Rogue Eucliffe..." Sting says as he writes them down.

"Oi, we aren't married yet, ya dork," Rogue says, interrupting him.

"Oops, too late." Sting smirks. Rogue just rolls his eyes and smiles. Sting moves on to the next question. "Address...where do we live again?"

"Oh boy, you're never gonna change," Rogue sighs. "Not that it's a problem though. I love you for just the way you are." Rogue reaches over and tries to take the pen and forms from Sting but he doesn't let him.

"No, I got this!" Sting assures, gripping the papers firmly.

"Well I guess we're gonna be here for half the day."

Sting gives him a look of determination and begins scrawling at the papers. Rogue's eyes widen at his terrible handwriting. "STING, WHAT THE HELL?! IS THAT EVEN ENGLISH?! THAT LOOKS LIKE FREAKIN' CHICKEN SCRATCH!"

"Rogue, this is a _WORK OF ART._ FEEL THE BEAUTY OF MY WRITING!" Sting protests, shoving the paper in Rogue's face. Rogue lets out a small laugh before pushing the paper away. 

"Okay, are you done?" Rogue asks.

"Mhm. All set!" Sting replies with a smile.

The two of them stand up and turn in the paperwork. The man at the desk gives them a look after reading the paperwork but Sting just shrugs. After the approval, he leads them into the hallway.

"We better not argue over which child we're going to choose," Rogue whispers, already knowing how this event might end up.

"Hm," Sting responds. "No promises there."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked that :D If you want, I could try writing the scene of them picking out their child and going home and maybe another chapter on how things go for them! Comment if you'd be interested :D


	4. Shopping and Cuddling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sting and Rogue go shopping and prepare for a day of cuddling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my entry for Day 1 of FT Halloween Week 2015~! 
> 
> Prompt: Shopping/Decorating

“Sting! Hurry up! The store’s gonna close in two hours!” Rogue called from the doorway. He was all ready to go with the money and list but Sting was taking forever to get dressed. It was ironic due to the fact that Sting barely wore any clothes to begin with. 

Shuffling noises were heard from upstairs, and in a couple of minutes, Sting appeared at the top of the stairs. “Sorry, Rogue! I’m ready to go!” 

Rogue looked up, a blush immediately spreading across his face within a matter of seconds. Sting was wearing the outfit he wore at the Grand Magic Games (the one he wore during the final round) and Rogue thought he looked really handsome in it. He couldn’t take his eyes off of him. Especially when Sting tripped over his own foot and came tumbling down the stairs.

“Sting!” Rogue cried, instantly going into a state of worry and shock.

Luckily, Sting landed right in Rogue’s arms, preventing him from getting hurt. 

“Sting…are you okay?!” Rogue asked.

“I’m fine..sorry..” Sting said, looking up into Rogue’s crimson eyes. "Glad ya caught me though."

Rogue looked down at him and held him tightly. He didn’t want to let go but they weren’t going to get their shopping done if they didn’t leave. “Don’t apologize. Just please be more careful.” 

“Mm..Rogue..I’ll try..” Sting mumbled into Rogue’s chest, nuzzling into it.

Rogue’s blush deepened but he had to push him off. It was getting late.

Sting just sighed and followed Rogue outside. He couldn’t stop staring at his figure, the way it moved so perfectly and the way his dark hair swayed along. Sting blushed but tried not to show it completely because he knew that when Rogue got serious about something, he wasn’t going to give up on it so easily. He didn’t want to be a distraction. 

Sting loved how Rogue was so passionate about everything.  ~~Especially his kisses~~~

A few minutes later, the two dragon slayers were at the store. They grabbed a shopping cart, and before Rogue could even begin explaining what they needed to buy, Sting sped off and zoomed around the store, grabbing everything in sight that looked “pretty” to him.

Rogue just sighed and face palmed. He went off on his own to buy what they  _actually_  needed. Once he was done, which he was in only a couple of minutes, he stood in line. He was about to go and pay for the decorations before Sting stopped him. Rogue probably wouldn’t have recognized him if it weren’t for his scent because he had a whole lot of things piled up in his arms. Two similar sweaters, hot chocolate mixes, horror movie DVDs, pumpkins, pumpkin pie, stuffed animals, long pillows, fluffy blankets, and more. Rogue’s eyes widened. 

“Sting, what the hell is all this?” Rogue asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Stuff we need,” Sting responded, giving an innocent smile.

“I already got everything we needed…” Rogue said, trying not to attract too much attention.

“But-”

“Sting.” Rogue said in his don’t-push-it voice.

But the white dragon slayer didn’t give up. He had a reason for buying all that stuff so he wasn't going to give in so easily. “Rogue, don’t you at least want to know why I bought all this stuff?”

Rogue sighed. “If you insist…although I don't see any particular reason you'd want to buy this heap of junk.”

“It’s for our cuddle night~” Sting singsonged, blushing and smirking at the same time. 

Rogue’s entire face turned red, and he changed his mind almost immediately. “Sting…” Deep inside he wanted to go with Sting’s plan so he slowly nodded as he paid for all the things. He was touched by the fact that Sting had chosen horror movies, because although he was scared of them, he knew that Rogue loved them.

As they were finishing off their purchase, a girl standing behind them glanced at them and gave them a disgusted look. “Wait, so, you guys are  _gay_?” 

Sting turned around and glared at her for a minute. “Yeah. So what if we are?” 

“It’s gross,” she snarled. A homophobe.

Rogue looked hurt, his expression quickly shifting from excited to uncomfortable.

That made Sting really upset. If anybody dared hurt Rogue's feelings, they'd have to deal with him personally. “Bitch, nobody cares about your opinion. Fuck off.” 

She looked annoyed and was taken aback by his insult, but before she could say anything, Sting kissed Rogue in front of everyone and held him close. Rogue was a blushing mess, but Sting looked proud of what he'd done.

After that bold act, he turned around and stuck his tongue out before flipping her off. “I love Rogue and he loves me. That’s all that fucking matters. Gender doesn't mean shit. Go take your homophobic ass back to the dump where you belong.”

With that said, Sting grabbed all the bags with one hand and held Rogue’s hand with the other as they walked out together. Rogue couldn’t help but smile. Lucky wouldn't even begin to describe how he felt having Sting by his side.

 ~Time Skip~ 

Sting and Rogue finished carving the pumpkins, decorating their house, and putting everything together. Their house looked really amazing; the two of them worked their butts off to make it look really scary and well-decorated. The final step was hanging up this one ghost decoration, which would be located on one of the windows by the roof.

Sting climbed up the ladder to put it up. It was in a high spot, so he had to stand on his tippy toes to reach it. Rogue just stared at him, taking in all the sexiness.  

It took some time, and a bit of struggling, but after setting it in place, Sting smiled to himself. “There, we’re all done!” He then looked down at Rogue and grinned. “Ready for our cuddle ni-” 

Before he could finish, he fell off the ladder and landed on top of Rogue. The two of them tumbled into the soft grass, letting out groans of pain. After the impact, they stared into each other’s eyes and started blushing. 

“I thought I told you to be careful…” Rogue said, smiling a little. "This is the second time you've fallen on me today."

“At least you’ll always be there to save me,” Sting said, returning the smile.

Rogue kissed his forehead and pet his soft blonde hair. “You know I will. Now what was that you were asking?”

Sting nuzzled into Rogue’s neck. “I was asking if you were ready for our cuddle night~”

“O-of course I am,” Rogue replied.

He stood up and held Sting’s hand as they walked back into their house. They changed into their pajamas and put on the matching sweaters. Rogue set up the movie by placing the pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals by the couch. Sting was preparing the hot chocolate and snacks, which included popcorn and chocolate covered strawberries. A few minutes later they were all set for their night.

Rogue leaned against the back of the long pillow and covered himself with the blanket as Sting snuggled in with him. He latched onto Rogue’s left arm as Rogue hit the play button on the remote to start the movie. 

As the opening credits played, Sting picked out a strawberry and started eating it while Rogue looked at him longingly. Sting's eyes averted to meet Rogue's, catching onto his expression quickly. He fed the strawberry to Rogue after he took a bite. Rogue blushed and ate it, chewing it slowly as he savored the taste. Sting got a little chocolate on his nose, so Rogue placed his hand on his chin and pulled him closer. It wasn't common for him to make a move like that, but he saw this is a good opportunity. Rogue licked the chocolate off of Sting’s nose and smiled. Sting was flustered, and he enjoyed the feeling of Rogue’s tongue on his skin. He didn’t want it to end there, so he bent down and licked Rogue’s lips. Rogue started blushing fifty shades of red.

“Sorry, you had strawberry juice on your lips, and I couldn’t help it,” Sting said innocently. Rogue rolled his eyes and wrapped his arm around Sting. The opening credits had passed and the movie was about to start.

“Remember, Sting, if you get scared, I’m here for you,” Rogue assured. He knew Sting was terrified of these movies deep inside although he didn’t want to admit it. Not to anyone else, at least.

Sting didn’t even bother to argue back. He was just really happy to have Rogue beside him. “I know. And I’ll never let you go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY THIS IS HOW CRAPPY MY WRITING WAS BACK THEN. I HOPE IT DIDN'T SUCK TOO BAD. BACK THEN I THOUGHT THIS WAS GOOD xD


	5. Moonlight Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sting the tsundere paired with Rogue being a cute little shit x’D. Includes Gajuvia brotp :D This is my made-up version of what Sting and Rogue’s past was like and how they met ^,^

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I originally planned for this to be a drabble but I ended up having over 6k words...heh heh...this is what happens when your brain gets fueled at 5 am.

It is said that when there is a full moon at night, a person is likely to be more open and reminisce about the past. 

Full moons bring full confidence upon anyone– if you were awake during a certain time to witness the sight. The moon’s glow captures your feelings and shoots them out in different directions, causing you to admit things you never intended to before. In turn, however, it also makes you realize things that you’ve never noticed in the past.

Being under a full moon was like being under a spell.

Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney collapsed onto their shared bed that night with a heavy sigh, not even bothering to change into their pajamas. They were far too exhausted to even think about doing any more work. Long missions drained their energy levels low, and right now, they could’ve really used a cup of hot milk or tea and a nap.

“Remind me to never take a mission this far from home again,” Sting groaned, clutching his stomach as he rolled to his side. “I’m still dizzy…”

“I told you to be more careful,” Rogue scolded, but in a loving manner. “You shouldn’t have tried to move around so much on the train.”

“Easier said than done,” Sting countered, ripping off his vest and throwing it aside.

“I’m pretty sure that  _not_  moving is easier,” Rogue remarked, turning to face Sting. 

“Whatever, Mr. Walking Encyclopedia,” Sting scoffed, switching his position so he was now facing Rogue as well.

“That’s common sense, Sting.”

Sting paused for a second after realizing he had nothing to say back to that. “You’re making me look bad!”

“You never look bad,” Rogue assured, brushing blonde locks of hair out of his eyes. He placed a gentle kiss on his forehead before proceeding to wrap his arms around Sting and pull him close. 

“You smell nice,” Sting chimed, taking a deep whiff of Rogue’s shirt. “As always.”

Rogue chuckled softly and buried his face into Sting’s hair, closing his eyes slowly, the sleepiness taking over. 

“Hey, Rogue, your shirt looks great on you, but I think it’d look better on the floor~” Sting teased, softly gliding his finger down Rogue’s muscular arms. 

“Glad to see that you being tired doesn’t get rid of your perverted side,” Rogue sighed sarcastically, his body tingling from the sensation. “And no thank you, I’m cold so I’d like to keep my shirt on.”

“But I can keep you warm!” Sting protested. “I’m super warm, aren’t I? And didn’t you say that me hugging you was like hugging a giant, fuzzy teddy bear?”

Rogue blushed at that statement, unconsciously squeezing Sting tighter. Sting took that action as a yes, and he smiled.

“It’s nice to see how much we’ve grown.”

“Huh?”

Rogue stopped for a second, not knowing why he had blatantly stated that. Well, since he already brought up the topic, he’d figured that he would continue on about it. “Do you remember when we first met? All those years ago…when we were just kids…”

“Hell yeah I do,” Sting grinned proudly. “Best time of my life, besides the day I got the guts to ask you out.”

“Right,” Rogue agreed with a smile, sliding one of his arms down to grab Sting’s hand. Sting intertwined their fingers like he always did, squeezing Rogue’s hand tightly but gently. The smile on Rogue’s face only grew as a dust of pink tinted his cheeks. “Did you know that those who meet in the weirdest ways share the closest bonds?”

“Didn’t know that, but now I do.” 

Rogue rolled over a bit to his left so he was on his back now, making sure not to let go of Sting. Sting followed his action as he moved closer to Rogue, resting his head on the shadow dragon slayer’s shoulder.

“The moon is really beautiful tonight,” Rogue whispered, the glowing object reflecting in his deep, ruby eyes. “It’s a full moon.”

“It’s not as beautiful as you,” Sting said softly, tilting his head upwards to kiss Rogue’s cheek.

Rogue felt his face heating up slightly. “You’re so cheesy.”

“About as cheesy as a box of Mac n’ Cheese! Which I could really go for right about now…”

“Oh, and you’re also such a big dork,” Rogue teased, poking Sting’s nose softly. 

“Isn’t the moon made out of cheese?” Sting suddenly wondered. 

“What in the world would make you think  _that?!_ ” Rogue questioned incredulously. “Where did you get that thought from? Do you ever think straight?”

“About as straight as me, baby,” Sting chuckled, moving his free hand up to run his fingers through his hair.

“A big no then.” Rogue let out a puff of breath, slightly amused by his partner’s behavior. “And don’t call me ‘baby.’”

“Fine, I’ll call you babe.”

“No!” 

“Cinnamon roll?”

“We’ve had the honey talk. Don’t call me food names.”

“Then can I call you-”

“Stop with the pet names!” Rogue shrieked, elbowing Sting in the stomach gently. 

“As you wish, my love,” Sting grinned, flashing his ever-so-beautiful-and-bright smile at his boyfriend.

Rogue’s blush returned yet again. “Anyway…back to what I was saying. The day we met. It was interesting, wasn’t it?” 

Sting nodded, sighing contentedly as he nuzzled into Rogue’s neck. 

~A Flashback~

Sting Eucliffe was known around town as a powerful wizard who could beat up anyone he ran in to.  

Despite his young age, he was very strong. He even got a cat to ask him to be his apprentice after watching him take down a wizard in the middle of town. People looked up to Sting as if he was their last hope. 

Now, you may think that he must’ve been some type of hero, but I’m sorry to tell you that you would be wrong. Sting had only one goal set in his mind: to defeat the prestigious Natsu Dragneel, also known as the Salamander. (Sting doesn’t like to admit this, but he did have a crush on him at some point.)

Because Natsu was the only person he cared about at that time, he treated everyone else like trash. Some would say he had a superiority complex because of the way he acted like he was better than everyone else. Sting loved to look down on people, making them feel inferior, and he enjoyed placing fear in their hearts.

Why did he do this, you ask? For one thing, after losing his foster parent, Sting didn’t have much guidance to let him know of what was right and what was wrong. Second of all, nobody believed that he had actually slain a dragon, so that put him in a pretty bad position as well. You could say that him going off on people and making them feel weak was a way to get revenge and give them a taste of their own medicine. A way to prove his strength. That he did, in fact, slay a dragon.

So how did this asshole of a kid become the kind, caring, protective soul he is today? 

We can thank the day he ran into a young boy named Rogue Cheney.

It was an ordinary day. Sting wasn’t expecting much, really. He had just finished taking down another wizard, and his little dragon slayer belly was getting hungry. Hoping to find some food, he turned the corner to see if he could find a bakery, but instead ended up running right into someone. 

“Hey, watch it!” Sting yelled as he fell on his rear end. He opened his eyes to look at who he bumped into, revealing a boy around his age with short, black hair. 

“S-sorry!” the boy apologized, standing up quickly. He instantly offered a hand to Sting, to which Sting slapped away.

“I can stand up on my own.”

“O-oh, okay,” the other boy mumbled, retreating his hand back.

“Who the hell are you?” Sting asked out of the blue, rubbing his sore bottom.

“R-Rogue. Rogue Cheney.”

Sting studied his features, scanning him up and down. He seemed like an ordinary kid at first, but as soon as Sting’s sapphire eyes locked with Rogue’s ruby ones, he felt something twist inside of him. Of all the people he had run into so far, none of them had  _that_  look in their eyes. The eyes of loneliness, betrayal, sadness. Sting only ever thought he’d possess those eyes.

“Aren’t you going to introduce yourself?” Rogue asked shyly, his fingers fidgeting. That question pulled Sting out of his thoughts. 

“Oh, uh, yeah, I guess,” Sting answered quickly. “I’m Sting. Sting Eucliffe.”

“N-nice to meet you, Sting,” Rogue said, bowing twice.

“Jeez, what’s your deal?” Sting asked, raising an eyebrow at the other boy’s odd behavior.

Before Rogue could say anything, a group of kids walked up to them and glanced at the new boy. 

“Is this another one of your opponents?” one of the kids asked, intrigued. “Are you going to beat him up like you do with everyone else?”

“Wh-what?” Sting asked, turning around. “I don’t know if-”

“The great Sting Eucliffe is backing down from a fight?” a little girl asked almost dramatically. “What a coward!”

Sting flinched at those words. He’d had enough of people calling him that in the past. “I’m not a coward!”

“Then fight him!” everyone pressed on.

Sting’s gaze reverted back to Rogue, his eyes now fixated on the rubies displayed in front of him. “Fine. I’ll do it.”

“Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!” the kids chanted, their excitement rising.

Sting grinned and got into his fighting stance, preparing to attack. Rogue seemed hesitant at first, but soon he followed suit, getting into a fighting stance of his own.

“White dragon…roar!” Sting started with a roar attack for his first move. He was sure his opponent would be surprised at the amount of power the attack held, but to his surprise, Rogue countered with the exact same move, except in shadow form.

“Shadow dragon…roar!” 

The two magical energies clashed in the middle, creating sparks of gray and purple. Sting stood there in shock, unable to believe his eyes. There was another dragon slayer besides just him and Natsu? He didn’t think he’d live to see the day.

“Woah, that kid is a dragon slayer just like Sting!” a kid pointed out.

“No shit,” Sting grumbled under his breath, curling his hands into fists. 

He hoped the rest of the battle would go smoothly, but he had no such luck. Rogue matched all of his moves perfectly, leaving neither of them an open spot to take the offensive side. They were equal.

“Damn it!” Sting cursed, slamming his fist into the dirt beneath him. “Why can’t I land a single blow?!”

“YOU CAN DO IT!”  a boy cheered, clapping. 

Sting rolled his eyes and prepared another attack. This one involved shooting beams of light at the opponent, which would confuse them before landing a direct blow on the stomach. 

Sting was confident, but maybe a little  _too_  confident. His attack flat out missed Rogue’s stomach and wait straight to his eyes. Sting gasped in shock as two laser beams pierced the jewels in Rogue’s eyes, and that in turn led everyone else to gasp in chorus.

As Rogue fell backwards in pain, his hands quickly moving up to his eyes, all the kids started cheering. “YOU DID IT! YOU BEAT THE OTHER DRAGON SLAYER!”

“Sh-Shit..!” Sting muttered, watching as Rogue coiled up into a little ball. He looked like he was in a lot of pain, and for the first time in forever, Sting felt bad.

“Let’s go, Sting!” a young girl called, running over to him and grabbing his arm. “My mom made lunch and I asked her to share some with you!”

“Fuck off!” Sting suddenly yelled, shoving the girl to the ground. He stepped past her to look at Rogue one more time when he noticed that all the kids were giving him strange looks. 

Sting clenched his fists and gritted his teeth at all the eyes that were watching him. Eventually, he let out a  _tch!_  and stormed away, leaving Rogue alone in the valley.   
   
Rogue was left on the cold, hard ground, crying. His eyes were burning, and when he tried to open them, all he saw was darkness. It scared him a lot, because lately he’d been dealing with lots of nightmares and this didn’t help him one bit. 

He didn’t know what to do. Would he lie here until he fell asleep? Would anybody come help him? He doubted it. Rogue didn’t have any friends, after all. He was hoping he’d try to become friends with Sting, because he was the one person who looked him in the eyes and didn’t look down on him or think he was a burden like everyone else did. He wasn’t expecting him to fight him, but he was surprised that he wasn’t the only dragon slayer in existence. Did Sting lose his dragon as well? 

“Gajeel-kun, wait! Juvia sees someone collapsed over there!” a voice said from the distance, pulling Rogue out of his thoughts. The shadow dragon slayer lifted his head up to see who it was, but then he remembered that he was basically blind right now. Gajeel, huh? That name seemed to ring a bell. 

“Why the hell should I care? People around these parts of town always get into fights. Probably just some snot-nosed brat,” Gajeel scoffed, turning his head and crossing his arms across his chest.

That statement got him a well-earned smack to the head.

“Ow! What was that for?!” Gajeel shrieked, clutching the part of his head that Juvia had hit.

“He might need help. Juvia thinks we should go help him. Juvia senses special magic power from him…almost like Gajeel-kun’s…” 

“Like mine?” Gajeel asked, raising an eyebrow. “Are you saying he’s a dragon slayer?”

Juvia nodded, considering the possibility. Clearly, she had gotten her friend’s attention. “Let’s go.”

Juvia and Gajeel approached the fallen victim. Rogue picked up their scent and could almost picture what they looked like just by what they smelled like.

“Hey, kid, you alright?” Gajeel asked, placing a hand on Rogue’s shoulder.

Rogue shook his head, trembling from the pain.

“What is your name?” Juvia asked, kneeling down beside Gajeel.

“R-Rogue,” he answered shakily.

Gajeel noticed how he was clutching onto the areas around his eyes. “Did you hurt your eyes or something?”

Rogue nodded, the tears sliding down his cheeks and falling onto the mud. 

“We should take him to the infirmary right away!” Juvia exclaimed, picking Rogue up. “Don’t worry, Rogue. Juvia promises that you’ll be okay.”

Rogue nodded again, trusting in her words.

“Before we go, I just gotta ask one thing,” Gajeel lowered his voice to a whisper. “Are you a dragon slayer?”

Rogue hesitated for a mere second, but then replied with, “Yes. I-I’m a shadow dragon slayer.” His nose picked up that the one asking was a dragon slayer as well. Rogue didn’t think he’d meet two on the same day.

Gajeel turned to look at Juvia, and they exchanged a knowing glance. They didn’t say anything afterwards until they got to the closest hospital. 

“Kid injured his eyes. Got anything that can help?” Gajeel explained as soon as they entered the building.

A doctor looked down at the boy cradled in Juvia’s arms, nodding knowingly. “Yes. Please follow me.”

Gajeel and Juvia followed the woman into a room, settling down into the chairs inside. 

The doctor brought out a clipboard and took a deep breath. “Please explain his condition.”

Juvia gently nudged Rogue, cueing him to speak. Rogue simply bit his lip and trembled more, not able to answer.

“Oi, how did this happen?” Gajeel asked, poking Rogue’s forehead. “You gotta tell her if you want her to help you.”

Rogue opened his mouth to speak but all that came out were choked back sobs. 

“He’s still in so much pain…poor thing…” Juvia sighed sadly, holding Rogue’s small body close to her chest.

“What are we supposed to do then?” Gajeel questioned, slightly annoyed. “Why do you need to know what caused his eyes to get damaged? Can’t you just fix them?”

The doctor shook her head. “There are different treatments for each condition. We don’t want to give him the wrong treatment.”

Gajeel let out a small growl as he placed his cheek on his palm. “C’mon Juvia, make him say something.”

“We shouldn’t push him. Juvia knows he’s not ready yet…” She stroked the small child’s back softly, hoping to comfort his violently trembling body.

Gajeel took a deep breath and groaned. “Then what the hell do we do now?”

“We wait for a bit,” Juvia answered, still soothing Rogue. 

“Awe man, I wanna go home,” Gajeel complained, leaning back against the chair in defeat. 

Before the doctor could suggest something for them, someone else walked into the room.

“I know what’s wrong with Rogue,” the mysterious person stated as he pushed the door open.

“Who the hell are you?” Gajeel asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“I’m…” Sting began, biting his lip.

Juvia turned around to look at him better, and she immediately recognized him. “Wait, you’re that kid Juvia has heard about…Sting Eucliffe, right? The one who always starts fights?”

Sting nodded ashamedly. “Yeah, that’s me. And I’m the one who hurt Rogue.”

Rogue’s ears perked up at the sound of Sting’s voice. He wondered why he had come back, but he had to admit that he was happy to hear his voice again.

“Are you guys his parents?” Sting asked, looking at Gajeel and Juvia.

“What?!” Gajeel yelled. “No, we just found him on the street!”

“Thank you,” Sting mumbled.

“Huh? What?” Gajeel asked, placing his hand behind his ear.

“I said thank you. For bringing him here.” He wasn’t used to saying those words, so he had to force them out. 

“Why do you care? You’re the one who hurt him and left him to die.” Gajeel remarked. Sting and Rogue both flinched at those words. “And I thought you liked hurting people. Since when do you give a shit?”

“Gajeel-kun!” Juvia scolded, glaring at him. 

“Look, do you want me to help or not?!” Sting asked, avoiding answering that question.

“Yeah, yeah,” Gajeel waved him off. 

The doctor turned towards Sting, looking at him expectantly. 

“He was injured by my attack. They’re beams of light energy, and I missed…and they went right into his eyes…” Sting explained with a heavy voice. It seemed to get harder for him to explain.

“I see. That’s all I need to know.”  The doctor nodded. “He’s going to have to wear bandages around his eyes for a week or two. I’ll give him some special eye drops which should help with the pain. Also, he needs a lot of rest. Keep in mind that he won’t be able to see, so someone is going to have to help him with eating and using the bathroom and such.”

“I didn’t sign up for this,” Gajeel mumbled, slinking down into his chair. “Juvia and I can’t look after him, we’re busy enough as it is. Our guild master would probably not be happy if he found out we’re helping an orphaned kid.” 

“Maybe Sting could help?” Juvia wondered. She turned to look back at where Sting was standing, but he was nowhere in sight. “What? Where did he go?”

“Damned brat probably ran off again,” Gajeel said irritatedly. “I don’t know why he bothered to show up in the first place.”

“He must’ve felt sorry,” Juvia said, looking down at Rogue.

“Him? No way. You’ve seen the things he does. He has no heart.”

Sting pressed his lips together. He was standing a few feet outside the door, eavesdropping on the conversation. Was that really what people thought of him?

“Wait..a-are you Gajeel Redfox?” Rogue suddenly asked, causing everyone to turn to him.

“Yeah, I am. You know me?” Gajeel questioned. 

 _Good, he’s able to speak again,_  Juvia thought, sighing in relief. 

“You…I didn’t know you were a dragon slayer. I..I’ve heard about you. How brave you are and how powerful you are. I wanted to be just like you someday…” Rogue continued.

“Geehee, well I  _am_  pretty amazing,” Gajeel said matter-of-factly. “I’m an iron dragon slayer.”

Rogue smiled slightly, impressed. 

“Anyway, I’m having a match with this other dragon slayer named Natsu Dragneel. It’s going to happen this weekend.”

Rogue suddenly got excited, and Sting’s ears perked up. Natsu Dragneel? Had he heard him right?

“You should come watch me take down that fire-breathing moron,” Gajeel grinned. “You’ll get to see me in action.”

“I-I-I’d love to!” Rogue answered, his smile growing. He had been waiting all his life for this moment.

“I hate to burst your bubble, but I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” the doctor interrupted. “His eyes won’t heal by then.”

Rogue’s heart sank. 

Sting felt his heart rate increase, guilt instantly flooding through his system. It was all his fault. He was the reason Rogue couldn’t go watch his idol face his own idol.

“I’m sorry…” the doctor apologized. She walked over to Rogue, who was now seated in Juvia’s lap. She gently removed his hands from his eyes, to which she saw that they were refilled with tears. She felt bad, but there was nothing that could be done. 

She pulled out a bottle of eyedrops and put them into Rogue’s eyes before wrapping bandages around his head. Rogue didn’t even flinch once; he was too upset by the fact that he wouldn’t be able to see Gajeel’s match.

“Are you going to leave him here?” the doctor asked when she was done treating him. “Since you said that you weren’t able to take him to your own home?”

“I can’t just leave him here,” Gajeel admitted, scratching the back of his head. “Looks like we’ll have to take him in.”

“Juvia thinks so too,” Juvia nodded. “Will Gajeel-kun be okay with it?”

“I’ll be fine,” Gajeel assured. “It ain’t such a big deal anyway. Huh. I’ve always wanted a little brother.”

“Brother?” Rogue asked. He lifted his head even though he couldn’t see anything.

Gajeel nodded. “From here on out, we’ll be sworn brothers. Juvia and I’ll take care of ya.”

“Gajeel-kun is actually a big softie,” Juvia giggled, petting Rogue. 

“I’m not!” Gajeel refuted, his face heating up from embarrassment. “Let’s just get out of here.”

Sting’s eyes widened before he took off. He didn’t want Gajeel and Juvia to see him. 

After Sting had left, Juvia turned to look at Gajeel. He was carrying Rogue atop his shoulders, to which he was really enjoying. 

“Did Gajeel-kun notice that Sting-kun was outside the room the entire time?” Juvia asked, a small smirk forming on her lips.

“Yup. He’s a weird kid, but it seems like he cares about Rogue for whatever reason.”

Rogue blushed at the thought, trying to figure out again why Sting had come to find him.

“You hungry?” Gajeel asked, looking up at Rogue. He readjusted his grip on Rogue’s small legs, making sure he wouldn’t fall off and that he was comfortable.

“Y-yes,” Rogue answered, his little tummy rumbling. 

“Great. Juvia’s a pretty decent cook. You want anything special?”

“N-no, it’s okay,” Rogue answered. “I’ll have anything.”

“Juvia will make something nice for Rogue-kun,” Juvia smiled. 

And so, Rogue moved in with Gajeel and Juvia. The two of them tried their very best to take care of him while going off on missions at the same time. Rogue didn’t mind being left alone, even though Juvia was very worried for his well-being. Rogue assured her that it was fine because he had been living alone for months, so it was no big deal. 

On the fourth day that week, Rogue was left alone at nighttime because Gajeel and Juvia were called away on an important mission. They wouldn’t be back for another two days, so he was by himself until then. They had left one of their comrades in charge, but he had forgotten to show up. 

Rogue shuffled towards the kitchen, holding onto the wall for support and guidance. He carefully made it over to the table where he fumbled his hands around to find the kettle of tea. Rogue had developed a slight cold so his sense of smell was thrown off, and he couldn’t rely on it as much as before. 

As he reached for the tea kettle, he found it to be easier than expected. It was almost as if someone had pushed it towards him. 

“I-Is someone there?” Rogue asked, trying to sniff the air. His blocked nose prevented him from sensing anything or anyone. When he didn’t hear anything in response, he shrugged it off. “I must be imagining things again.” 

Rogue sipped his tea and finished it off in only a couple of seconds. After placing the cup in the sink, he shuffled back to his room, gripping onto the wall again for assistance.  

Sting Eucliffe leaned his back against the wall a few feet away from where Rogue was, his eyes closed and hands shoved into his pockets. Why had he come here? Well after hearing that Rogue would be alone, he wanted to make sure nothing hurt him. He didn’t understand why he was doing this, because like Gajeel said, he didn’t give a shit about anyone. He just felt some strange need to help Rogue out, maybe even because he wanted to make up for ruining his vision. 

Sting waited until Rogue safely returned to his room. After Rogue was fast asleep, he placed his sleeping bag outside and slept under the stars as always. He made a promise that he would look after Rogue for the next two days, without him finding out.

And so, until the day Gajeel and Juvia returned from their job, Sting looked after Rogue. He made sure he was properly eating, handed him his towel and clothes after he showered, and watched him as he fell asleep. Rogue never found out or realized that there was someone there the whole time, even though he kept getting the sensation that someone special, like an angel, was watching over him. 

On the night before Gajeel and Juvia’s return, Sting was determined to accomplish another goal. In just two days, Gajeel would be facing off against Natsu. He really wanted Rogue to watch after seeing how much it meant to him. He knew he had to do whatever it took to make sure he was healed by then.

After bringing in a bento box from a nearby store and placing it on the table, Sting left the house, heading back to the hospital. He pushed open the doors and walked to the doctor that had healed Rogue.

“Excuse me?” Sting asked, pulling on her coat. She was far taller than he was, so he figured he needed to do that to get her attention.

“Oh, hello there, young one!” the doctor greeted with a small wave. “How may I help you?”

“Is there a way you can heal Rogue’s eyes by this weekend?”

“I’m afraid not-” she began.

“But you have to!” Sting protested, interrupting her. “He needs to see the match between Gajeel-san and Natsu-san!”

“I’m sorry…there’s really nothing I can do…he needs at least another four days of rest…”

“That isn’t good enough!” Sting whined, stomping his foot on the ground.

“If there was something I could do, then I would,” the doctor told him apologetically. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go see another patient.”

She left the room, leaving Sting by himself. Sting bit his lip in frustration as tears slid down his cheeks. Because of him, Rogue couldn’t watch something he’d been looking forward to for so long. It was all his fault, and he hated it. What he also hated it was that he didn’t know how to control his emotions. He hadn’t felt this way in a long time, so when these feelings suddenly resurfaced, he had no clue on how to deal with it. 

~

“We’re home!” Juvia called as she entered her house after what seemed like forever. “Rogue-kun, where are you?”

Rogue perked up at the sound of Juvia’s voice and quickly hopped out of bed, following the sound of Juvia’s voice. He nearly crashed into a wall, but eventually he found Juvia and hugged her legs. “W-welcome home!”

“Juvia is glad to be home,” Juvia smiled, picking Rogue up. “Is Rogue-kun okay? Did he eat well while Juvia and Gajeel-kun were gone?”

Rogue nodded, wrapping his arms around Juvia’s neck. He hugged her, making her giggle. 

“Did the brat eat?” Gajeel asked, dropping his stuff on the ground. “How’ve you been, kid?” He went up and ruffled Rogue’s hair.

“Good,” Rogue answered. “Someone left me bento boxes on the days you were gone.”

“Someone, huh?” Gajeel wondered, his mind immediately going to Sting. “Interesting.”

“Ah, Juvia hopes she can find that person to thank them,” Juvia said, placing Rogue down on the couch. “The match is in a few hours. Is Gajeel-kun ready?” 

“I’ve been born ready,” Gajeel confirmed. “I’m glad we got to rest up at that hotel last night. Needed to keep my strength up.”

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Juvia asked a bit worriedly. She knew Gajeel would win, but she was still concerned.

“You don’t have to worry about me, jeez,” Gajeel sighed. “Look, I’ll be fine.”

“Juvia knows. Please be safe.”

“I will, I will,” Gajeel mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well I’m gonna go eat. Oh and Juvia, Master said he wanted to see you.”

“Okay. Juvia will go.” She looked back down at Rogue, who was sitting quietly as he watched them converse. “Juvia is sorry for leaving Rogue-kun alone again…Juvia and Gajeel-kun have been very busy.”

Rogue nodded his head knowingly. He waved as the two of them left again. He then grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. Even though he couldn’t watch the shows, he wanted some background noise to help with his loneliness.   
Sting stood a couple of feet away, listening along with Rogue. He had planned to take Rogue to the match and explain everything to him as it went on. It was the least he could do.

Rogue fell asleep on the couch when Gajeel and Juvia didn’t return. He guessed they had to go directly to the match and had no time to check on him.  

Sting glanced at the time on the clock: ten minutes until the match started. He slowly walked over to the sleeping dragon slayer, poking him on the cheek. “Hey, Rogue. Wake up.”

Rogue recognized the voice instantly as he quickly sat up. “S-Sting? What are you doing here?”

“I came to take you to the match. Come on, let’s go,” he commanded, grabbing Rogue’s hand.

“B-but I can’t see…” Rogue reminded him with a frown.

“I know. I’ll be your eyes, Rogue. I’ll tell you everything that’s happening. I just don’t want you to miss it.” Before Rogue could respond to that, Sting pulled him off the couch and ran out the door. “I’ll make sure you get to go.”

Rogue looked down at his hand, which was held tightly but gently in Sting’s own hand. A blush rose to his cheeks and he couldn’t help but smile. He knew there was something special about Sting the moment he laid eyes on him.

~

Sting wasn’t surprised when Natsu won the match. 

Sting and Rogue had met up with Gajeel and Juvia after the battle was over. Gajeel was pissed off and grumpy, but Juvia assured him that he did great. 

“I’ll get that salamander next time,” Gajeel said, determined. “Just you wait.”

“Juvia is sure you will,” she smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. She then exchanged a glance with Gajeel, realizing she had to tell Rogue something.   
She kneeled down next to Rogue, placing a hand on his head. “Rogue-kun, Juvia is afraid she has some bad news.” Rogue tilted his head sideways, letting her know that he was listening.

“Gajeel-kun and Juvia have been promoted in the guild…so we won’t have any time to take care of you…” Tears brimmed in her eyes, and Rogue could tell she was upset without even looking. “Juvia is so sorry, Rogue-kun. Juvia doesn’t want Rogue-kun to be alone at home all the time.”

“I..I understand..”  Rogue said softly. “My eyes should be healed soon, right? I’ll go aft-”

He didn’t get to finish as Juvia hugged him tightly, sobbing. Rogue was almost like her own son, so it hurt to let him go. “Promise Juvia that you’ll take care of yourself.”

Rogue nodded, hugging her back in return.  

Sting cleared his throat from beside them, alerting their attention. “I have a proposal.”

“What?” Gajeel asked, turning to face the white dragon slayer.

“I’ll take Rogue with me.”

“You’ll…what?”

“I need a partner. Rogue is perfect. Our magic goes really well together, and I swear on my life that I will protect him.”

Gajeel turned to look at Juvia, asking for approval. Juvia thought it was a great idea, considering that she had already realized Sting’s caring feelings for Rogue. “Juvia loves the idea. Please be careful, both of you.”

“We’re gonna start our own guild some day! And we’ll be the coolest dragon slayers ever! We’ll surpass you, Gajeel-san! And even Natsu-san!” Sting announced, grinning proudly.

“You wish, kid,” Gajeel scoffed. He looked at Rogue and ruffled his hair, a smile taking form on his lips. “Be careful, alright? Remember you’re still my little brother.”

Rogue nodded with a smile. He didn’t need to be asked twice to confirm if he was going to travel with Sting. It really was a perfect idea. 

“Then this is goodbye,” Juvia said sadly, letting go of Rogue. She wiped her tears and ruffled his hair one last time. “Goodbye, Rogue-kun. Juvia will miss you so much.”

“I will too…” Rogue whispered, tears filling his eyes. He quickly wiped them away and smiled. "Thank you for everything."

The moon shone brightly that night, taking its beautiful, full form.

With a last exchange of goodbyes, the two pairs parted ways, heading off on their own journeys.

~End of Flashback~

“And look where we are today,” Rogue smiled after he finished the story. “Even after all the hardships with Jiemma being our master, we took over Sabertooth and made it into such a great guild.”

Sting had teared up at the story, as it brought upon so many feelings. Rogue noticed his silent sobbing and tilted his head sideways, watching as his tears sparkled in the moonlight.

“Are you…are you crying?” Rogue asked, gently wiping his tears with his thumb. “You don’t have to cry…”

“I’m not crying,” Sting denied. “I’m just sweating through my eyes.” Rogue gave him a weird look and Sting quickly shook his head. “Wait, that’s gross.” He sniffled, letting out a small chuckle. “Yeah, I’m crying.”

“There’s nothing to cry about,” Rogue reminded him, softly kissing his forehead. “I was really happy when you told me that you were looking after me when I was alone.”

Sting blushed at the compliment, but then his expression twisted into a frown as he realized something. “I’m sorry I hurt you back then. And that you didn’t get to see the match,” he whispered, nuzzling his nose up against Rogue’s. “I’m so sorry.”

“You don’t have to be worried about that now, silly,” Rogue assured, squeezing his hand. “We’re happy now, aren’t we?”

Sting nodded, pulling Rogue as close as possible to the point where even a pin couldn’t fit between them. 

“Don’t worry about past mistakes. All we can do is learn from them.”

“I know. Thanks, Rogue. I’m so glad I met you.”

“Same goes for me,” Rogue smiled, taking a deep breath. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Rogue.”

The two of them fell asleep soon after that, their hearts as full as the moon shining above them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gajuvia brotp and Stingue gives me life. And I have a weird obsession with the moon. Oh well.


	6. Just Tell Me the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rogue's been keeping a secret. Something that's forbidden in their guild, and if their master hears about it, he knows well that he and Sting will both be killed. That's why, at all costs, he can't let him find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place after Sting and Rogue's fight against Natsu and Gajeel, with the exception of Jiemma getting killed. In this OS, that particular event never happens.

“Rogue! Please wait!” Sting called, chasing after the shadow dragon slayer. “Stop running! I need to talk to you!”

“Damn it all...It’s all over...” Rogue muttered to himself, clenching his bruised fists in anger. “Why wasn’t I able to hide my feelings this time...?”

“Rogue! Hey, just stop for one fucking second!” Sting shouted, accelerating his speed. With one quick leap, he tackled Rogue to the ground, making the both of them hit the cold floor with a thud.

Rogue pressed his lips together, sealing away the desire to speak. He wouldn’t be answering any of Sting’s questions, no matter how much he begged. He couldn’t let Sting know. It was best to keep quiet about it.

“Tell me what’s wrong! Why are you so distant from me all of a sudden?!” Sting questioned, refusing to get off of him. 

Rogue remained silent, closing his eyes tightly. Maybe if he did that, everything would just disappear. His heart started pounding in his chest, but he ignored it, along with everything else. The need to speak, the nervous twists in his stomach, the heavy weight in his throat. 

“Answer me, idiot! What the hell is wrong with you?!” Sting got off of Rogue’s trembling body and pulled him up, gently forcing him back against the wall behind them. “Please...”

Rogue dared not to look into those crystal blue eyes. They were powerful enough to lure him into doing anything, and he couldn’t let himself fall under the spell. Not this time. 

“You’re scaring me...” Sting said, lowering his voice to a shaky whisper. His hands began trembling as droplets of sweat ran down the sides of his face. “D-did I do something to hurt you?”

Rogue forcefully, and almost instantly, shook his head. Nothing was Sting’s fault. It was all his own. 

“Talk to me, Rogue,” Sting pleaded once more. He grabbed Rogue’s face, making him look at him. 

Sting stared intently into Rogue’s ruby red eyes, trying to find a sign or a message of some sort. He could always read Rogue and tell what he was thinking or feeling just by the look in his eyes, but this time, they were void of any expression. It was nearly impossible for him to find a clue of any kind.

He tried to recall everything that’s happened this week. Sure, Sting was oblivious at times, but he wasn’t that dense. He could sense when something was wrong with Rogue. 

After a while of careful thinking, he managed to think of one potential thing that was bothering him. It was a sensitive topic, he presumed, no, he  _knew_ , so he made sure to be very lenient about it. 

“Is it...what our lady told me? About...you know...” Sting glanced down at the floor, suddenly finding the wood finish to be very interesting.

Rogue bit his lip, sinking his fangs into the flesh.  _Crap, he knows._

“It’s okay..you know..I-”

“It’s not okay!” Rogue precipitously yelled, grabbing one side of Sting’s vest. “Do you know what could happen if Master found out?!”

“So you finally speak...” Sting said with a smile, his eyes softening. “You don’t have to worry. Everything will be fine.”

“Sting...nothing’s ever fine around here!” Rogue whispered harshly, hanging his head low. He gripped Sting’s vest tighter, boiling in anger and fear. “You were never supposed to know! I tried to hide it for so long...”

Sting moved one of his hands to Rogue’s clenched fist, holding it in a comforting manner. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“Stop being sorry when it wasn’t your fault,” Rogue hissed, closing his eyes and gritting his teeth together in frustration. “It’s a sin here. I’ve done something terrible...”

“So it was true then, huh?” Sting asked expectantly, brushing Rogue’s bangs aside. 

Rogue unclenched his fist before pushing Sting backwards, curling up into a ball. He pulled his knees to his chest, hugging them as he buried his head in between. 

“Just tell me the truth. You love me, don’t you?” Sting whispered, reaching out to touch Rogue’s cheek. It wasn’t easy considering how his face was buried in between his knees, but he managed to pull it off anyway. 

Rogue’s heart said yes, but his mind said no. He couldn’t risk answering the question in fear of Sting’s safety. After all, just moments ago, one of their comrades had suffered a terrible fate. Someone very close to Sting’s now damaged heart.

“No,” Rogue lied, trying to keep his voice steady.

Sting wasn’t shocked or offended. He’d known Rogue too long to be able to tell what he was really thinking. “You don’t have to lie to me.”

Rogue’s ears flamed up as he lunged forward, grabbing onto the hem of Sting’s crop top. “I’M NOT LYING! SHUT THE HELL UP!” Sting simply smiled, too broken to even feel afraid any more. One look at his eyes and Rogue’s hand shook violently once more, realizing what he’d done. “Sting...I...I’m sorry! Y-you just lost Lector..and now I’m yelling at you..and I...” He bit his lip, closing his eyes tightly as he tilted his head downwards. 

Fresh tears streamed down Sting’s cheeks, dripping onto Rogue’s hand. He was still somehow able to keep the bright smile on his face. “Nah, that isn’t your fault...don’t say sorry...”

“Stop it, please. I can’t stand seeing you in pain,” Rogue whispered, lowering his forehead and resting it against Sting’s chest. “Don’t cry...please...I’m begging you...”

“And you think I don’t feel the same about you?” Sting asked, gently hugging Rogue while pulling him close. He would’ve hugged him tighter if it weren’t for the bruises they received from the recent beating. “You’ve been keeping that feeling inside for so long. I know you’re good at hiding feelings, but sometimes it builds up, and then it’s hard to maintain it all inside.”

“Worry about yourself for once,” Rogue spoke brittlely. “You’re in so much more pain than I am.” His voice was cracking, making Sting’s heart hurt.

“I don’t want to lose you too, Rogue,” Sting sobbed, burying his face into Rogue’s hair. He took a deep whiff, taking in the familiar, comforting scent. “I’m also scared...but I want you to tell me how you really feel. So I can be sure that my feelings are returned.”

“You...you love me too?” Rogue asked, his eyes widening. Sting nodded, squeezing Rogue a little tighter. His heart beat faster, practically pounding in his chest. “But Sting...if Master Jiemma finds out...he’ll...”

“To hell with Jiemma! If he dares lay a finger on you, I’ll kill him! Plus, I can’t hide my feelings for you any longer. He’s off on some shitty duty or whatever, so let’s take the time now to let each other know how we feel.”

“No, we can’t!” Rogue yelled, surprising himself. “If I ever put you in danger, I’d never forgive myself! I don’t want to see you any more broken than you already are, so for the love of god, please don’t make me do this...” 

“I’d be willing to take anything if it means I can tell you how I really feel about you.”

“It’s...it’s so unfair...” Rogue mumbled, burying his face deeper into Sting’s chest. “Why must we always be the ones who suffer? Everyone else can love so freely...while we have to live in fear of getting killed by our master...”

“I know it’s unfair, but want to know why I want to keep living?” Sting sniffled, wiping tears from his eyes. Rogue lifted his head up slightly, signaling Sting to answer. “It’s because of you, Rogue. I...I know things are hard right now...and probably will be for a while...but I just know that one day, things  _will_  get better. I’m going to wait till that day where we fulfill our dream and take over this damned guild and make it a better place. A place where anyone can love freely, and there will be smiles and happiness instead of fear and despair.”

“It surprises me how you’re always so optimistic,” Rogue chuckled shakily, lifting his tear-stained face off of Sting’s chest. “But your optimism gives me hope. You’re...the light of my life...as long as you’re with me...everything’s okay.”

Sting smiled genuinely, happy tears now filling his eyes. “I’m gonna say it now. I love you, Rogue. I can’t do anything without you. Please promise me that you’ll stay with me forever. We’ll do everything together like we’ve always been. And one day, I’ll give you the future you’ve always wanted. The future  _we’ve_  always wanted.”

“Sting.. I...” Rogue was left speechless as a smile formed on his lips. “I love you too, and I promise. Thank you.”

The two dragon slayers shared an embrace once more, crying out all of their locked away emotions. They knew more suffering and pain was yet to come, but they had each other, and in the end, that was all that really mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I tried a hand at partial angst during my sleepy tired state...what did you think? xD


	7. Never Got to Tell You that I Loved You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unplanned Stingue OS with no context whatsoever. Completely dialogue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I came up with this during psychology class, someone please get me out of here.

**_Stage 1: Denial_ **

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Sir, we are serious. Nobody is laughing. Besides you.”

“It won’t really happen. This is all just some dream. I just need to wake up.”

“Believe what you want, but you can’t hide from the truth.”

“Very funny. No need to sound so serious. I know it won’t happen.”

“Think as you wish.”

____________

“I don’t love him.”

“Please, it’s so obvious.”

“No it isn’t.”

“Okay, you’re right. You hide it. But I know.”

“No you don’t.”

“You can’t deny it, Rogue.”

“I am, aren’t I?”

“The fact that you say it doesn’t mean that you actually mean it.”

“Leave me alone.”

**_Stage 2: Anger_ **

“This is the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard!”

“Sir, please calm down.”

“No! Fuck you! This isn’t happening!”

“I’m going to have to knock you out if you don’t stop.”

“Try me, asshole.”

“Watch it.”

“Why the hell does it have to be me?!”

“I am sorry.”

“LIKE HELL YOU ARE!”

“Sir, please. You are disturbing the others.”

“Fuck them.”

___________

“I know you love him, Rogue.”

“SHUT UP!”

“You aren’t denying it now, are you?”

“GO AWAY. I DON’T NEED YOU HERE.”

“Calm down. What I said is nothing but the truth.”

“Just leave! Stop harassing me!”

“I’m not. I’m being honest.”

“I don’t need your opinions! Now go before I hurt you!”

**_Stage 3: Bargaining_ **

“God, I swear from now on I’ll start being a nicer person....I’ll be there for my guild more....I’ll even go to church....”

“What are you mumbling about?”

“I swear to God I’ll become a better guild master....just please don’t let this happen...”

“You aren’t making any sense.”

“I’ll respect people more, I won’t start fights, I’ll be more responsible...”

____________

“I promise I’ll control my feelings....I swear I’ll tell him how I feel...but I need more time...please give it to me...”

“You can have all the time in the world. Or can you? It’s up to you, Rogue. You’ve been hiding the feeling for so long. For years. It’s time to tell him how you feel.”

“Maybe I will...I just need to think of what to say...”

“Speak from the heart. That’s it.”

“Okay, I swear I’ll get over my anxiety...and my fear...I promise....”

**_Stage 4: Depression_ **

“Sir, please stop crying.”

“You think I can stop when this is about to happen?”

“I’m sorry, but we have no other choice.”

“It’s not fair...what did I ever do...”

“It’s time. Anything you want to say?”

“No. Just hurry up and do it. There’s nothing I can do to stop you.”

“Very well.”

“I never got to tell him how I feel. Will I get a chance...?”

“I doubt it.”

_______________

“What did you just say?”

“He’s gone.”

“Gone? What do you mean gone? When is he coming back?”

“Never, Rogue. He’s never coming back.”

“W-what? What happened?!”

“Life chooses its own victims. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

“I...I....”

“Rogue, a-are you crying?”

“Sh-shut up....just shut up....go away... forever....I need to be alone....”

**_Stage 5: Acceptance_ **

"So this is how it ends, huh? Well at least I have no regrets. Except for one thing...”

“You think he’ll notice me up here? When he sees the stars at night? Will he think of me?”

“Maybe. I can only hope he does.”

____________

“He’s gone, Frosch.”

“Fro is sorry...”

“Nothing will ever be okay again.”

“Frosch doesn't like seeing Rogue cry every day.”

“I lost my light, Frosch. What else am I supposed to do?”

“Fro thinks you should go out and spend time with your friends.”

“I need no one. Without him, I am nothing. And now that he is gone, I will never be anything again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you hadn't figured it out, this was about death and dying. One half (Sting) was physically dying, the other half (Rogue) was emotionally dying.


	8. I Don't Hate You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sting has done something horrible to Rogue and doesn't think he'll ever forgive himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tfw you can't think of good chapter titles x'D This part takes place right before their match against Natsu and Gajeel.

“I fucked up so bad,” Sting mumbled quietly, sitting in the corner of his bedroom. He clutched a pillow to his chest and rocked back and forth, trembling as if he was facing death.

“What did you do?” Lector asked, placing his paw on Sting’s boot. “You look like you’ve activated some curse and are trying to hide from a demon you released.”

“That’s actually not that far off,” Sting laughed nervously, his throat dry. “I...I don’t know what happened...I don’t know why I did what I did...”

“You’re afraid? I can’t believe it. You’re not afraid of anything!” Lector exclaimed, placing his paws on his hips. 

“I did something horrible and I can’t forgive myself,” Sting choked out, his voice dying. Fresh tears flowed down his already tear-stained face, coating it with a new layer.

Lector thought about it for a minute, but then came to a conclusion. Even though Sting seemed like a jerk on the outside, there was only one person he had a soft spot for. Only one person who he was truly afraid of losing. “It’s something to do with Rogue, isn’t it?”

“Please don’t say his name,” Sting sobbed, burying his face into the pillow.

“But he’s-” Lector began.

“No!” Sting yelled, not meaning to raise his voice. “Just please...don’t bring him up.”

“You gotta tell me what happened if you want me to help...” Lector told him, moving his paw from Sting’s boot to his head. 

“I don’t wanna talk about it,” Sting squeaked out, his voice muffled by the pillow. 

“You have to. You and Rogue are a team. Without each other, you two are nothing.”

“Looks like I’ll be nothing forever, then.”

Lector let out a sigh, letting his arms fall to his sides. He loved Sting and supported him one hundred percent. He felt bad for him, and was worried about him, but it would’ve been nice if he could cut the drama in half. 

The exceed pulled the pillow out of Sting’s arms, but that only resulted in him burying his head in his knees. “Are you sure you’re not taking this too far? I mean, it’s Rogue, your best friend! You guys have practically known each other since forever! And to be honest, this is the first time I’ve seen you apart from him.”

“He won’t want to come near me after what happened,” Sting sulked, restarting his motion of rocking back and forth.

“Tell me, Sting, please,” Lector begged with pleading eyes.

“It’s funny...we were raised so harshly I almost forgot that Rogue could be sensitive...I’m so stupid...” Sting rambled as if he was possessed, lifting his head from his knees.

“You’re freaking me out.” Lector took a step back, shuddering. “What’s with the creepy look on your face?”

“Master’s gonna kill me,” Sting whispered, his eyes widening in fear. “I’m not ready to go back out there. I can’t face Rogue like this.”

“You have to talk to him,” Lector pressed, tugging on a strand of Sting’s hair. “I know you won’t tell me, but you have to tell him. Say sorry or something and mean it.”

“B-But I can’t! He doesn’t want to see me!” Sting wailed, his voice becoming hoarse.

“You don’t know that. Now go, before I tell him for you.” Lector hated when there was tension between the two of them. Sting, Rogue, and Frosch were the three people he loved and cared about the most, so if something was wrong between them, he became distraught. 

Sting’s lip quivered, but he shakily stood up nonetheless. He took a deep breath and swallowed, shaking out his sweaty palms. “Okay, but if I fuck up again, remember to kill me.”

* * *

“He hates me, Frosch. I can feel it,” Rogue breathed out, facing the edge of the bathroom stall he locked himself in. 

“Fro doesn’t think so,” his exceed assured, placing a paw on his leg. “Sting loves Rogue.”

“Not anymore,” Rogue hissed with disgust. “If he did, he wouldn’t have done that.”

“Fro thinks it was an accident. Fro knows Sting didn’t mean to,” Frosch told him.

“I wish you were right, little buddy,” Rogue smiled sadly, picking up Frosch into his arms. 

“Is Rogue mad at Sting?” Frosch asked, his eyes filled with worry.

“No,” Rogue said with a sigh. “I’m actually mad at myself.”

“But why?” Frosch wondered.

“Because that’s the way I am. I mean, it had to be my fault, right? It was because of something I did that made him say that.”

“Fro doesn’t think so,” Frosch said again, shaking its head.

“I just want to be happy for once,” Rogue sniffled, a tear escaping the corner of his eye. “I thought Sting was going to be the one who led me to happiness, but I guess I was wrong.”

“Don’t cry, Rogue!” Frosch exclaimed, panicking. “Rogue will be happy! Fro knows! And Sting still loves Rogue!”

“No, Frosch,” Rogue shook his head, letting the rest of the tears fall from his eyes. 

“Fro thinks that listening to our scary master made Rogue forget about his relationship with Sting,” Frosch whispered, looking down.

“W-what do you mean by that?” Rogue cried, his vision blurred by tears. 

“Fro knows that Rogue always knows what Sting is thinking, and Sting always knows what Rogue is thinking. Ever since they came to Sabertooth, they’ve lost some of their bond.”

“That’s...what are you...” Rogue was at a loss of words. 

“Fro thinks Rogue should go see Sting. They should have a talk.”

Rogue took a deep breath. Normally he wouldn’t have agreed to something like this, but it was Frosch. Whatever Frosch wished was his command, so he was doing this for the sake of his partner. 

He swallowed the lump in his throat, wiping the tears with his sleeve. Masking himself with a brave face, he pushed open the door to the bathroom stall and walked into the hallway.

He was about to take a step forward when suddenly something, or rather someone, crashed into him, knocking the two of them to the ground. 

“Holy shit, I’m so s-” the mysterious person began before his blue eyes widened. He started panting heavily and quickly retreated, getting off of Rogue and falling back onto the ground a few inches away.

“St-Sting?” Rogue gasped, his voice barely coming out as more than a whisper.

“R-Rogue...” Sting choked, his eyes filling with tears again. 

“I’m sorry!” the two of them apologized at the same time. “You’re sorry? I’m the one who should be at fault here!”

Lector raised an eyebrow. He always wondered how they were able to finish each other’s sentences or say things at the same time without any beforehand planning. 

“I’m so fucking sorry for what I did, I swear to God I didn’t mean to, I don’t know what happened...and...and....I know you hate me now and...” Sting blurt out, speaking so fast that his words came out jumbled together.

“I don’t hate you. I could never hate you. That’s the problem,” Rogue muttered, letting his dark hair fall over his face like a curtain.

“P-Problem?” Sting asked with disbelief, realizing how bad the situation had become. 

“What you said did hurt me, but I don’t hate you. I hate myself.” Rogue clenched his fists, refusing to make eye contact with Sting.

“You should hate me!” Sting screamed, pounding his fist into the wall beside them. “I said something so hurtful, so you should hate me with all your guts!”

“Sting...” Lector mumbled to himself. It hurt him just to watch, but they had to work it out or else things would only get worse.

“I don’t hate you!” Rogue screamed back. “You said what you did for a reason! It was because I wasn’t good enough!”

“You’re wrong!” Sting countered, the tears flowing down his face like waterfalls now. “I didn’t mean what I said, I don’t know what came over me!” 

“Then why did you?!” Rogue asked, frustrated. 

“Fro is scared...” Frosch squeaked out, covering its ears. 

“I don’t know, okay! After Yukino got kicked out, I was so scared about getting kicked out too that I...I...” Sting tried to speak but could barely form a coherent sentence with his voice as heavy as lead. The fact that he was practically crying his heart out didn’t help either.

Rogue’s expression immediately softened. He couldn’t believe himself. He was so self-absorbed that he didn’t even stop to consider Sting’s feelings. Maybe Frosch was right. Jiemma’s strict lecturing really did damage their bond a little.

“I don’t want you to forgive me, because I don’t deserve it, I just want you to know that I didn’t mean what I said!” Sting cried, bending forward so his head was touching the ground. 

“Sting, please stop...” Rogue begged shakily, his eyes now filling with tears as well. He couldn’t hold them in, so they overflowed against his will. 

It had been so long since the two of them cried. As much as they wanted to more times than one, they were forbidden from doing so. They were aware of the consequences and didn’t want to deal with them, so they kept this side of them locked away in fear of Jiemma’s warnings.

“I’m sorry...so sorry...” Sting bit his lip, trying to keep his voice steady. He slowly raised his head from the cold, hard floor, letting blond locks of hair fall over his face. “I already know how sensitive you are, but I was being insens-”

He was cut off as Rogue pulled him into a hug. His eyes shot open in surprise, not expecting him to do that.

“Stop,” Rogue croaked out, burying his head in Sting’s shoulder. “That’s enough. I forgive you.”

“Rogue...”

“You’re going to be okay. You won’t get kicked out. You shouldn’t even have to worry about that considering your strength,” Rogue assured him, his tears drenching the right side of Sting’s vest. “We’ll both fight to the end.”

Sting was left speechless for a couple of seconds. He came here to apologize to Rogue, but he also had the luck of lifting that burden off his shoulders. 

“You can stop crying now. Master probably wouldn’t like it if he saw you like this,” Rogue continued, pulling Sting closer and hugging him as tightly as possible.

Sting chuckled shakily, wiping his tears. “You first, crybaby.”

“Shut up, Sting. We’re both in trouble if he catches us like this,” Rogue breathed out with a faltering smile. He admired Sting’s ability to add light to any dark situation.

“Let’s go back to our room. There’s a lot I want to talk to you about.”

Sting stood up, taking Rogue’s hand and pulling him up alongside him. They walked to their shared room in silence.

The two of them hoped that one day, they’d both finally be able to see the light and find the strength to fix their damaged bond. They knew deep in their hearts that it was possible, and they’d use all the power they had to attain it.

It was a dream cast away in the night sky, and all they had to do was reach for the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't mean to make it angsty. It just happened.


	9. Window Proposals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sting pays a visit to Rogue at 4 in the morning. Yup, they're crazy dorks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK I REALLY LIKE HOW THIS TURNED OUT SO I HOPE YOU DO TOO~

Rogue Cheney slept peacefully -- well, that’s what an outsider would assume --  in his bed, exhausted from working tirelessly all day. His shoulders ached and he had a serious migraine, so extreme that it wouldn’t surprise him if he was half-dead. There wasn’t an ice pack nearby to ease the pain, so he just collapsed on his bed, suffering silently. 

“I could really go for something nice and cool right about now...” he mumbled with intense desire, pressing the back of his palm onto his warm forehead. His skin was so hot to the point where it would be a direct match-up to Natsu’s flames. Did he seriously overwork himself that hard? Oh, right, he did.  _Someone_  dumped all of his paperwork on him-- again. 

Why did he agree to do that? His partner’s puppy dog eyes and pleading pout, paired with the fact that he was absolutely in love with this idiot may have factored in to the reason why.

Rogue turned to his side with a grunt, hoping that switching positions would help him fall asleep faster. He just wanted to sleep away his problems and pray that everything, including the pain, would be better in the morning. 

He forced his eyes to close, pressing so hard that little wrinkles formed in the corners.  _Come on, just fall asleep already!_  he yelled at himself, groaning in frustration.  _I don’t even care if I have nightmares, just please let me sleep!  
_

Approximately twenty minutes later, Rogue’s eyes shot open as quickly as they had closed. Rogue screamed out with distraught, smacking the pillow into his face. “GOD DAMN IT!” 

He tried everything in the old book of tricks. Counting sheep, drinking warm milk, and listening to the sound of rain. Alas, all had failed. 

He was going to try reading a book, but Rogue loved books too much and knew that starting one would only result in him staying up longer to finish it, therefore getting nowhere near his goal to sleep early.

Rogue finally gave up laying in bed and threw a pillow to the floor, settling down onto it once it landed. He crossed his legs and placed the back of his hands on his knees, curling his pointer and thumb fingers so they connected to form a circular shape. He inhaled a deep breath through his nose and exhaled through his mouth a few times before closing his eyes.

Mediation was one thing that really helped Rogue relax. It worked every time, no matter how clattered his mind was with bothersome thoughts. He thanked the lords he read a book about mediation and discovered the way it successfully led him into a world of peaceful serenity. 

Rogue sat in silence, balancing his energy, clearing his mind, and cleansing his body from within. He was one hundred percent sure that he was in sync with nature and God himself. He smiled in relief, focusing on maintaining this state. 

Unfortunately that intention was short-lived, because Rogue’s concentration was broken when he heard a loud bang against his window, sounding almost like a gunshot.

One of his eyes opened irritably, wondering where the sound could’ve come from. He could’ve sworn that he tuned out the world, but this noise was so loud it made his heart skip a beat. After hearing nothing but silence with an occasional gust of wind, he closed his eye, returning to his meditation. 

He inhaled a deep breath once more, but before he could exhale, the gunshot sound returned, making him choke. Both his eyes opened this time in annoyance. What kind of maniac thought it was a good idea to make this much noise outside of his house at what, he turned to check the clock which read 3:54 am in big, red numbers.  _Wait, 3:54 a.m?!_

“Who the hell-?!” Rogue began, resentfully walking up to his window. He pulled open the curtains and nearly had a heart attack when he saw Sting’s face pressed up against the glass. His best friend waved casually, as if climbing up to a window in the middle of the night was a normal thing. “Sting, what in the world?!”

Sting mouthed the words,  _Let me in!_  and Rogue shook his head in disbelief, preparing to unlock the window. 

Both of them were most likely not using their brains quite wisely in that very moment, because the second Rogue pulled open the window, the momentum caused Sting to lose his grip and fall backwards, right off the ten foot ladder he managed to hoist up against Rogue’s house.

Rogue’s eyes widened in despair as he smacked his forehead. He quickly used his shadow abilities to teleport on the ground where Sting was going to land. He made it just in time, luckily. Sting fell into his arms, his eyes blown out wide.

“Guess I wasn’t thinking,” Sting chuckled with a faint blush, rubbing the back of his neck as Rogue gave him an annoyed glare. “At least you were here to catch me~”

“What in God’s name are you doing here?” Rogue hissed, shifting his weight so he could support Sting better.

“I came to-” Sting began. “Oh, wait. I’ll tell you when I come up to your window again.”

“Again?! Are you crazy?! You just fell off and you wanna do that again?!” Rogue questioned with incredulity. 

“Trust me,” Sting assured, tapping Rogue’s nose with his finger. “And make sure to leave the window open this time, okay?”

“What do I do with you?” Rogue shook his head with a sigh. He set Sting down carefully. “You’re not hurt, are you?”

“I’m okay, thanks to you,” Sting confirmed with a grin. “Now go back to your room and wait for me.”

“Someone’s a little bossy,” Rogue teased with a smug grin of his own.

“Well I  _am_  the guild master,” Sting pointed out proudly.

“Yeah, a guild master who dumps all his work on me.” Rogue rolled his eyes but kept the smile on his face.

“Aw, shut up!” Sting cried in embarrassment. 

“Well I’m not wrong, am I~?” Rogue asked with a sparkle in his ruby eyes.

Sting felt his ears heat up.  _Shit, he looks so cute!_ He quickly shook away the thought. “Wipe that smug look off your face, jerk!”

Rogue laughed huskily and returned to his bedroom in a flash. He waited for Sting to make his way back up to his window. He watched as Sting grabbed the ladder and adjusted it back up against his house. 

Sting swiftly made his way up the ladder, wasting no time at all. On the way up, he couldn’t stop thinking about what was about to come next. He felt his heart thumping in his chest. Before he could come in terms with his feelings, he reached the top, coming face to face with the shadow dragon slayer.

“Hi, Rogue,” Sting greeted as if they hadn’t seen each other at all just a few moments ago.

“Hello, Sting,” Rogue waved in return.

“I have a proposal for you,” Sting stated, clearing his throat. “Please do try not to push me off the ladder this time.” He didn’t know why he was talking like that, but he knew that when people were nervous, they did weird things, so he just went with it. 

“I didn’t push you off,” Rogue said flatly, crossing his arms across his chest.

“Okay, whatever,” Sting swallowed nervously. He needed to get straight to the point. “So, uh, I was wondering if you’d like to get ice-cream?” 

“Who crawls through someone’s window at 4am to go for ice cream?!” Rogue blurt out, exasperated. 

Sting laughed nervously, keeping his signature grin plastered on his face. “So is that a yes or no?” He raised an eyebrow, looking at Rogue expectantly.

Rogue felt a blush rise to his cheeks. He already decided that he wasn’t going to get any sleep tonight so he might as well go. Not to mention that he  _did_  need something nice and cold to help his headache. After all, spending a night alone with Sting? It may be troublesome, but he already knew he would love every moment of it. Especially since it was Sting who was accompanying him.

“I accept your proposal, Sting,” Rogue answered, mimicking the tone Sting used to pose the question. 

“Great!” Sting smiled, holding out a hand to Rogue.

Rogue took it without hesitation, but then realized it was a mistake when he saw Sting lose his balance yet again. “Sting! Let go of my hand! You’re gonna fall again, dumbass!”

“Wha-?” Sting started. He then realized that he was losing his footing and let out a strangled scream as he grabbed onto the window sill in the nick of time. The ladder collapsed beneath him as he hung there, gripping tightly onto the edge of Rogue’s window.

Rogue covered his mouth, trying not to laugh, but it failed him. He burst out laughing, tears filling the corners of his eyes. “Oh my God, Sting.”

Sting shook his legs back and forth, hoping to find a jutted out brick he could step on to. “Help!!”

Rogue grabbed his arms and pulled him into his bedroom as they collapsed onto the floor with a thud. Sting was on top of Rogue, blushing madly, with Rogue equally sharing that blush.

He looked up at Sting and soon red connected with blue, allowing them to look deep into each other’s eyes. 

“Let’s leave window climbing to Romeo and Juliet, okay?” Rogue joked after a few seconds of silence, sitting up. 

Sting nodded and stood up, holding Rogue’s hand and pulling him up with him. His eyes were twinkling with anticipation, and Rogue gave him a sideways glance, wondering why he was so happy all of a sudden. 

“Okay. But just remember that you’re implying that I’m Romeo and you’re Juliet,” Sting pointed out with a grin.

Before Rogue could comment on that, Sting pulled him out of his house, running towards their favorite ice-cream store.

Perhaps they’d confess their feelings for each other as they shared a sundae while watching the sun rise. Will it be destiny?

To hell with fate. They definitely would. No doubt about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stingue fluff will be the death of me. (ू•‧̫•ू⑅)


End file.
